That’s three moves now. Three moves in six days from a team many expected to be dormant this offseason, or even in retreat. Three moves at a time when most other clubs are still gathering information, still weighing how to proceed on the trade and free-market markets.
The Angels are for sale, but Arte Moreno isn’t trading Shohei Ohtani, isn’t rebuilding, isn’t operating any differently than he normally does. That, Angels fans know, can be a problem. Maybe Moreno’s prospective buyers are telling him to keep the team competitive. Maybe he just wants to take one last stab at winning while he still owns the club. The Angels’ current $191.2 million payroll would set a franchise record for the third straight season — and rest assured, they’re not finished yet.
Will all this make the Angels a contender in the AL West, a division that includes not only the World Series champion Astros, but also the wild-card Mariners and ready-to-spend (again) Rangers? The best guess is no. But general manager Perry Minasian, who might be trying to prove a point of his own to the groups bidding for the club, is certainly giving it a shot.
Say this for Moreno and the Angels: In the words of their former manager, Joe Maddon, they’re trying not to suck. Their latest stunner, the acquisition of outfielder Hunter Renfroe from the Brewers on Tuesday night, came at the price of three young pitchers, Elvis Peguero, Janson Junk and Adam Seminaris. Previously in this whirlwind of a week, Minasian picked up third baseman Gio Urshela from the Twins for pitching prospect Alejandro Hidalgo and signed free-agent left-hander Tyler Anderson to a three-year, $39 million contract.
Anderson rejected a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, so his signing will cost the Angels their second-highest draft selection and reduce their international bonus pool by $500,000. Not ideal for a team Baseball America ranked 29th out of 30 in its midseason organization talent rankings. Trading four young pitchers for one year of Urshela and one of Renfroe is not ideal, either.
Minasian, though, does not mind operating this way. He figures he can find more young players through drafts, trades and international signings. In his two years as GM, his front office has acquired the Angels’ top seven prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, and 21 of their top 30.
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(Photo: David Kohl / USA Today)